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Barack Obama came to public attention through the power of his oratory, and then won the presidency on the back of its soaring, uplifting, optimistic cadences. He called it into action again, after eight years as the nation's preacher in chief where his ability to persuade a nation and articulate its public and hidden feelings has often been stretched to the limit but rarely found wanting. His speech to the Democratic Convention wasn't just about supporting the woman he wants to be his successor, or damning, with his customary crisp, light yet lethally wielded authority, her opponent. It was also about ensuring the longevity of his own legacy. It was about whether the presidency stays in the hands of someone with intellectual rigour, passion and nuance, or whether it passes to the vulgarian instincts of a self-regarding demagogue.

It was a tremendous speech, a reminder of what it's like to be governed in poetry. And in defending the character of Hillary Clinton, a wom…

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This year's Republican convention has been a mess. A delightfully anarchistic mess for those of us who do not wish him well, but a mess nonetheless. Although he is unchallenged as the Republican nominee, he still faced a floor challenge to his candidacy. In previous conventions - and you have to go back to 1976 for this - you at least had to have another candidate to rally round, but not this time.

Donald's wife gave a speech that had significant elements plagiarised from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention speech, which gave us the excellent spectacle of hardened Trumpites loudly applauding the sentiments of the current First Lady.

The principal speakers at the convention have all shown clear signs of madness. Rudy Giuliani, once a respected New York mayor, tried to be Donald Trump on acid. Chris Christie, once a governor who briefly looked as if he could reach across partisan divides, played his role as chief witch-hunter (prosecuting chief wi…

Here’s a chance for the Tory selectorate to prove they’re
not just right-wing shadows of Momentum.Will they take it? 1.The Tory grassroots voted overwhelmingly for
Leave.Theresa May didn’t. 2.The Tory grassroots is as representative of the
electorate as a whole as your slightly loopy grandparents who are appalled at
all these gays and rather regret having to leave the 1950s.Andrea Leadsom voted unapologetically
against gay marriage. 3.The Leave campaign which received so many Tory
votes was notable for a number of
porkies which quickly became apparent after they won – the most obvious being
that £350 million pounds a week that isn’t going to fund the NHS because it doesn’t
actually exist. 4.Andrea Leadsom has had to busily revise her CV because
the original, declaring her to have managed million pound investment funds and
manage hundreds of people in major teams, wasn’t actually quite 100%
accurate.Turns out she didn’t.Do either. 5.Tory grassroots occasionally latch on to
genuinely loopy …

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The Chilcot Report is, as expected, damning of Tony Blair's government and its decision to support America in a war of invasion against Iraq. There isn't much that is positive to be taken away from the report, from the war's inception, to its execution and through to its long drawn out, disastrous aftermath.

But Blair did not act alone. Indeed, it is his slavish desire to show solidarity with the American administration and inability to temper - even a little - that administration's determination on war that is such a contributory factor in his overall failure.

Chilcot is damning about the awful aftermath of the invasion in Iraq. As well he should be. But the real responsibility - if we accept that Blair was a mere cipher in this regard - lay with the ultimate planners of the war, and none was more involved than George W Bush's Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld.

It is worth briefly recounting why the Iraq invasion turned that count…

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The Tories are in a better position than the Labour party as they will undoubtedly quickly unite behind a new leader come September. The question is, who will that leader be and what does it mean for British politics? At a time when the Labour party is incapable of providing any clear opposition and the Liberal Democrats remain an irrelevance, the choice of Tory leader is crucial for the country. Sadly, the country doesn't choose. A few thousand Tory activists do.

Forget the MP tallies in the parliamentary vote for the moment. That they will put Theresa May through with a substantial - even overwhelming - majority supporting her seems likely (at the moment - though the last week has emphasised the unpredictable nature of politics). Andrea Leadsom looks well set to be her competitor in the run-off amongst party activists.

And here's the thing. Leadsom may be relatively new to the party, while May has racked up immense service in the voluntary party…